We’re almost at the end of this epic final season of Star Trek: Picard. Episode 8 of Star Trek: Picard – “Surrender”, brought a bit of closure, moving towards the big grand finale. But With only two episodes, the reveals, reunions, cameos, and easter eggs keep coming—plenty to talk about this week, from the Red Door to some The Motion Picture-esque ship-loving. Picard Season 2 story editor Matt Okumura truly pulls out all the stops. Also, before we finally get the answers in “Vox“, lots of room for some last-minute theories!
Data vs Lore
In one of the episode’s best scenes, Data and Lore (Brent Spiner’s dual role) battle for control in the golem’s positronic matrix. In passing his memories to Lore, Data picks up the Deerstalker hat, something he only wore in the episode “Elementary, Dear Data“. The voice line which repeats about Sherlock Holmes’ collecting is also from this same episode. Incidentally, it also marked the first appearance of Professor Moriarty (Daniel Davis), who Data’s consciousness summoned up back at Daystrom Station.
We also get one last look at Spot, Data’s cat. Data says that Spot taught him to love. We got a good look at this when Data cried when finding him at the end of Star Trek: Generations. However it was evident much earlier than that, such as when Data composed Ode to Spot in the episode “Schisms“. He also passes out his holographic memorial of Tasha Yar (Denise Crosby). It’s also lovely to have Tasha involved in this big reunion season, even if she’s not there in person.
We also see a deck of cards. The TNG crew played poker all the time together. It even marked the final scene of Star Trek: The Next Generation. I hope we see some people playing poker again, maybe even the Titan crew, as a passing of the torch. Data’s final reunion with Geordi also tugs at the heartstrings, with Lore defeated and Data finally in full control. Geordi asks him, “how do you feel?” the same question that stumped Spock in The Voyage Home, except Data can give a heartwarming answer immediately.
The Big Reunion
This episode sets up the final reunion piece brilliantly. First Riker (Jonathan Frakes) and Troi (Marina Sirtis) make amends, reconciling, all while referencing the house and pizza oven they hate, which we last saw in Picard Season 1’s “Nepenthe“. Then Worf (Michael Dorn) joins back in on the action, rescuing them and calling back to the horrific romance from TNG‘s final season. I didn’t think we were going to callback to that, but I’m glad we didn’t do it seriously.
Then Picard and Beverly (Gates McFadden) meet back up with Geordi (LeVar Burton). The funniest running joke by far this season is Chateau Picard being horrible, although I would love if at least one person liked it (seriously how is he still in business?). Geordi mentions living on Rigel, and this makes one too many similarities for him to not be married to Leah Brahms (Susan Gibney). I’d love for her to make a live action return later on this season, which given her return in Star Trek: Lower Decks, is not off the table.
And finally, the moment we’ve all been waiting for since the cast announcement last April, all seven TNG cast members share the screen. For the first time since Star Trek: Nemesis over 20 years ago. It’s given all the fanfare it deserves, and it seems like the producers really understood the gravity of what they were doing. As magical as it is, I can’t help but dread that this is the last time that this will happen. Few better places than the Titan though, with some lovely shots of the ship paired with the classic Star Trek theme to boot.
The Red Door
We here at Trek Central have been trying to figure out what Jack Crusher (Ed Speleers) really is since the season’s beginning. His red eyes, him hearing voices, and Troi calling that other presence both “ancient” and “weak” leaves me thinking the Pah Wraiths are back. Even the orange light from the keyhole could be related to the Bajoran Fire Caves. They even have connections to the other villains, the Changelings, so their alliance almost makes sense. However, this could all be a red herring.
If the problem also involves Picard’s Irumodic Syndrome, there’s a chance this is related to remnants of Locutus. Jack using his powers looks an awful lot similar to the Borg vision sequences from Star Trek: First Contact. They also mentioned the new ships all being networked, which could make for a nice Borg armada (and a lovely excuse to go back to the Fleet Museum). What’s not clear is why they would ally themselves with the Changelings, my biggest problem with the theory.
There’s also a small chance that it’s something else entirely. It could be that the Picard family are evolving somehow. It might even be some other alien presence, like Redjac (from “Wolf in the Fold“) or Armus (Tasha’s killer from “Skin of Evil”). However, all of that’s really unlikely and hasn’t been set up at all. I’m fairly confident that it’s one of the other two at this point. We’ll know by next week though, so I’m sure my confidence in writing this is going to age brilliantly.
The Real Villain
We still don’t know who Vadic (Amanda Plummer) works for. However, with her gone, we’re bound to find out soon. Her final words were perfection. I’d love if this were a callback to her famous outburst in Pulp Fiction, or if there’s an outtake mirroring it. I still can’t believe the amount of swearing this season. Awesome. Her death was really reminiscent of Kruge (Christopher Lloyd) in Star Trek: The Search for Spock, with just the right amount of Gabriel Lorca (Jason Isaacs) thrown in for good measure.
I’m sure if we knew the answer to that and the answer to the Red Door almost go hand in hand. In something that pushes me a little closer to the Borg theory, Vadic says it’s fitting that Seven (Jeri Ryan) is there as she exposits. We know that Tuvok (Tim Russ) is appearing again. Given he stabilised Seven’s neural net, is there a chance he could do the same for Jack? Are there more Star Trek: Voyager or Star Trek: Deep Space Nine character hiding around? The time is now.
It seems almost as if the Floating Head is obscuring a cameo. Even the credits seem to be obscuring who it is, something they wouldn’t be doing if it were just Species 8472 or something. If it’s the Pah Wraiths, this could be Gul Dukat (Mark Alaimo). If this is related to the Borg, then I’m not sure. It could be formless Locutus looking to turn Jack into a Borg King, but I feel like that would be really stupid. I’m torn between those two theories. Both seem to have the same amount of merit and serious holes.
Looking Forward to “Vox“
The season is definitely coming to an end! I’d love it if the final few hours were a 2-hour fun musical where everything’s fine, but that doesn’t look the case. The Red Door will open. Frontier Day is coming. The next episode’s even called “Vox“, in an apparent reference to the voices that Jack’s hallucinating. Plans are rolling into action, and I couldn’t be any more nervous than I am now.
However, there’s still a lot to look forward to. The possibility of seeing the crew back on the Enterprise-D isn’t impossible. The redacted crew evaluation in the end credits gives me hope that maybe Shaw (Todd Stashwick) will finally respect Seven’s name, especially after this episode’s epic line. Stashwick’s having the time of his life, too. This isn’t the first time he’s been beaten and bruised in a place called Titan (seriously, watch Terry Matalas’ 12 Monkeys. The callbacks here don’t stop).
Star Trek: Picard Season 3 airs on Thursdays via Paramount+ for those in the United States. Additionally, on Crave and the CTV Sci-Fi channel for viewers in Canada. However, new episodes air Fridays via Amazon Prime Video in international regions like the United Kingdom and Australia. Paramount+ also streams the episodes in select locations, such as Italy, Germany, and France. For coverage of all things Star Trek: Picard, follow Trek Central!
Conclusion
Star Trek: Picard Season 3 airs on Thursdays via Paramount+ for those in the United States. Additionally, on Crave and the CTV Sci-Fi channel for viewers in Canada. However, new episodes air Fridays via Amazon Prime Video in international regions like the United Kingdom. Paramount+ also streams the episodes in select locations, such as Italy, Germany, and France.
More From Trek Central
📰 – Strange New Worlds – Season 1 DVD/Bluray Boxsets
🔥 – SNEAK PEEK – Star Trek: Picard Season 3 Ep 5 “Imposters”
🔍️ – REVIEW: Star Trek: Picard “No Win Scenario”
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